Australia put on British and Irish Lions tour of a lifetime August 8, 2025 Before leaving a rainy Sydney to return to (a sunny!) Blighty, I sat down with fellow rugby fans in a Darling Harbour bistro to dissect a British and Irish Lions tour which, by all accounts, blew everyone away. It is fair to say that I was within the group of those who had questions as [...]
Lions profit share gives players buy-in and shows the future of rugby July 25, 2025 British and Irish Lions players will be hoping that the MCG gets close to capacity for Saturday’s second Test against Australia – and not just for the sake of a good atmosphere. This tour is the first in which Lions players will receive a share of profits, a move expected to bump their pay up [...]
Red Roses sign up Clinique as sponsor ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup July 23, 2025 The Rugby Football Union has added Clinique to its roster of Red Roses partners ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England. The global skincare giant has become the official beauty partner of the team, who begin their World Cup campaign next month. It expands Clinique’s presence in the women’s game, having partnered with [...]
British and Irish Lions tour boosts Aussie booze sales by a third July 22, 2025 Major Australian cities have seen a 30 per cent uplift in alcohol sales as a result of the British and Irish Lions tour, City AM can reveal. The touring side began the three-Test series with a win over Australia on Saturday having been in the country, playing provincial sides, for the previous three weeks. Thousands of fans [...]
Mayor of London announces £1.4m sports fund for capital July 19, 2025 The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, has this morning announced a £1.4m cash injection for community sport across the capital. Khan, currently in Africa on a trade mission, confirmed the fund in South Africa, alongside England Rugby World Cup Winner Jason Leonard OBE’s charity Atlas Foundation. The round of funding forms part of Go! [...]
Can British and Irish Lions tour save rugby in Australia? July 18, 2025 It is a crying shame to see rugby union drop so far behind Aussie Rules, the NRL and football Down Under, even as the British and Irish Lions get set to take on the Wallabies in the first of three Tests this weekend. But I am not surprised, given the state of Australian rugby at [...]
Fulham’s Craven Cottage could be future of new franchise Project Sevens July 17, 2025 The investment vehicle behind a new privately funded rugby sevens league set to launch in 2026 is targeting Craven Cottage as a host venue, City AM can reveal. Tom Burwell, chief executive of Bia Sports Group – the investment team behind newly promoted Premier League football club Sunderland – explained that the as-yet unnamed sevens [...]
Exclusive: Wembley sales key to rugby league Ashes record crowd hopes July 14, 2025 Organisers of rugby league’s Ashes series are targeting a record-breaking opening Test at Wembley Stadium, 103 days out from kick-off. Rugby League Commercial, which is behind the first Test series against Australia in 20 years, is aiming to break records for Ashes attendances. Previous series were played between Australia and Great Britain, rather than England, [...]
Lack of Welsh Lions shows stark reality of systemic failures July 11, 2025 Ahead of Wednesday’s British and Irish Lions midweek game against the Brumbies in the Australian capital of Canberra I came across a shocking statistic. The match was the first since 1899 not to include a Welshman from the matchday 23. I am not surprised that it has happened on this tour given only two Welshmen [...]
Super League CEO: Challenge Cup final may need move from Wembley July 9, 2025 Rugby league may have to consider moving the Challenge Cup away from Wembley, says the chief executive of Warrington Wolves. Karl Fitzpatrick said his “heart” was with staying at the 90,000-seat home of football in London but his “head is saying we may need to look at somewhere else”. The 2024 final between Wigan Warriors [...]